Because of Winn-Dixie

by

Kate DiCamillo

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Because of Winn-Dixie makes teaching easy.
Otis is the sole employee at the Naomi pet shop Gertrude’s Pets. He’s a shy, quiet man who wears his black hair slicked back on his head. He offers Opal a job sweeping the shop after the parrot Gertrude decides that Winn-Dixie is an acceptable companion. Despite his awkwardness with people, Otis is exceptional at dealing with animals. He’s a skilled guitarist and regularly gets all the animals in the store out of their cages so he can play for them—and the animals sit still and listen to him. Otis confides in Opal that he does this because he understands what it’s like to be locked up, since he’s been in jail. This gives Opal pause, as she’s been taught that it’s dangerous to hang out with criminals. Despite this, Otis never behaves in a way that concerns Opal. Eventually, Opal asks why Otis was in jail and he’s more than happy to tell his story. He used to play guitar on the street because he believes that music is meant to be heard by others—but the police asked him to stop, and when they tried to arrest him, Otis punched an officer. In the novel’s present, he exclusively plays for the animals at the pet shop because the police made him promise to never play on the streets. Hearing his story turns Otis into a far more sympathetic character for Opal, and she eventually begins to consider him a friend. She convinces him to come to the party she throws at Gloria’s house, and the other guests are instrumental in encouraging Otis to play music for humans for the first time in years. Playing for people makes Otis glow with happiness.

Otis Quotes in Because of Winn-Dixie

The Because of Winn-Dixie quotes below are all either spoken by Otis or refer to Otis. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Storytelling and Listening Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

All of a sudden, I felt happy. I had a dog. I had a job. I had Miss Franny Block for a friend. And I had my first invitation to a party in Naomi. It didn’t matter that it came from a five-year-old and the party wasn’t until September. I didn’t feel so lonely anymore.

Related Characters: India Opal Buloni (speaker), Winn-Dixie, Otis, Miss Franny Block, Mama, Sweetie Pie Thomas
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

I waved at the woman on the porch and she waved back, and I watched Sweetie Pie run off to tell her mama about Otis being a magic man. It made me think about my mama and how I wanted to tell her the story about Otis charming all the animals. I was collecting stories for her.

Related Characters: India Opal Buloni (speaker), Otis, Mama, Sweetie Pie Thomas
Page Number: 85
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

“Why are all those bottles on it?”

“To keep the ghosts away,” Gloria said.

“What ghosts?”

“The ghosts of all the things I done wrong.”

I looked at all the bottles on the tree. “You did that many things wrong?” I asked her.

“Mmmm-hmmm,” said Gloria. “More than that.”

“But you’re the nicest person I know,” I told her.

“Doesn’t mean I haven’t done bad things,” she said.

Related Characters: India Opal Buloni (speaker), Gloria Dump (speaker), Otis
Related Symbols: The Mistake Tree
Page Number: 94-95
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19 Quotes

I swept the floor real slow that day. I wanted to keep Otis company. I didn’t want him to be lonely. Sometimes, it seemed like everybody in the world was lonely. I thought about my mama.

Related Characters: India Opal Buloni (speaker), Otis, Mama
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 25 Quotes

“Well,” said Gloria Dump. “We didn’t do nothin’. We just sat here and waited and sang some songs. We all got to be good friends. Now. The punch ain’t nothin’ but water and the egg-salad sandwiches got tore up by the rain. You got to eat them with a spoon if you want egg salad. But we got pickles to eat. And Littmus Lozenges. And we still got a party going on.”

Related Characters: Gloria Dump (speaker), India Opal Buloni, Winn-Dixie, Daddy/The Preacher, Otis, Miss Franny Block, Amanda Wilkinson, Dunlap Dewberry, Stevie Dewberry
Related Symbols: Littmus Lozenges
Page Number: 175
Explanation and Analysis:
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Otis Quotes in Because of Winn-Dixie

The Because of Winn-Dixie quotes below are all either spoken by Otis or refer to Otis. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Storytelling and Listening Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

All of a sudden, I felt happy. I had a dog. I had a job. I had Miss Franny Block for a friend. And I had my first invitation to a party in Naomi. It didn’t matter that it came from a five-year-old and the party wasn’t until September. I didn’t feel so lonely anymore.

Related Characters: India Opal Buloni (speaker), Winn-Dixie, Otis, Miss Franny Block, Mama, Sweetie Pie Thomas
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

I waved at the woman on the porch and she waved back, and I watched Sweetie Pie run off to tell her mama about Otis being a magic man. It made me think about my mama and how I wanted to tell her the story about Otis charming all the animals. I was collecting stories for her.

Related Characters: India Opal Buloni (speaker), Otis, Mama, Sweetie Pie Thomas
Page Number: 85
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

“Why are all those bottles on it?”

“To keep the ghosts away,” Gloria said.

“What ghosts?”

“The ghosts of all the things I done wrong.”

I looked at all the bottles on the tree. “You did that many things wrong?” I asked her.

“Mmmm-hmmm,” said Gloria. “More than that.”

“But you’re the nicest person I know,” I told her.

“Doesn’t mean I haven’t done bad things,” she said.

Related Characters: India Opal Buloni (speaker), Gloria Dump (speaker), Otis
Related Symbols: The Mistake Tree
Page Number: 94-95
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19 Quotes

I swept the floor real slow that day. I wanted to keep Otis company. I didn’t want him to be lonely. Sometimes, it seemed like everybody in the world was lonely. I thought about my mama.

Related Characters: India Opal Buloni (speaker), Otis, Mama
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 25 Quotes

“Well,” said Gloria Dump. “We didn’t do nothin’. We just sat here and waited and sang some songs. We all got to be good friends. Now. The punch ain’t nothin’ but water and the egg-salad sandwiches got tore up by the rain. You got to eat them with a spoon if you want egg salad. But we got pickles to eat. And Littmus Lozenges. And we still got a party going on.”

Related Characters: Gloria Dump (speaker), India Opal Buloni, Winn-Dixie, Daddy/The Preacher, Otis, Miss Franny Block, Amanda Wilkinson, Dunlap Dewberry, Stevie Dewberry
Related Symbols: Littmus Lozenges
Page Number: 175
Explanation and Analysis: